Buffet server



D. B'IRKIN BUFIYFEI SERVER Dec. 3; 1946.

Filed Oct. 12, 1942 ATTORNEY Patented- Dec. 3, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE BUFFET SERVER Dimitri Birkin, Boston, Mass. Application October12, 1942, Serial No. 461,755

. 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to buffet service devices of the generaltype in which a plate and some other food-service accessory such'as acup may be assembled as a portable unit assemblage to be held in onehand of a user.

An important object of the invention is to provide a buiiet servicedevice of the above general type in which the elements are associated ina manner to enable several of such assembled units to be stacked ornested one upon the other without disturbing the assembled relation ofthe elements of the units.

Another object is the provision of a buffet service device affording acombined cup-support and plate-reinforcing element or stiffener and cupsupport, whereby a cup and a plate of relatively flexible material, suchas paper or thin plastic material may be carried as a unit in one handwith the facility of a similar use of a rigid plate and cup holder.

Another object is the provision of a buffet service device in which theaccessory element and support therefor are related to the plate in amanner to avoid obstruction of the main surface of the plate, and at thesame time maintain bal-- anced stability of the assemblage when laidupon a flat surface in either empty or filled condition.

Another object is to provide a cup support adapted to be associated infixed relation with a plate in a manner to permit the user to take holdof the plate at a place on the rim directly beneath a cup held in thecup holder and thus at a point in substantially vertical alignment withthe center of gravity of the assemblage.

A further object is the provision of a buffet service device in whichthe accessory support engages the plate through means acting to preventaccidental disengagement oi the support from the place by radiallyoutward pressure against the support.

A still further object is to provide an accessory support adapted toengage the plate by means of a closed contrac-tible loop capable ofbeing locked in contracted position about the rim of a plate.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention wherebyreliability and convenience in use of a device of the present type areattained, will be apparent from a perusal of the following detaileddescription of certain specific embodiments shown in the accompanyingdrawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the invention applied to aplate of thin sheet material and supplied with a cup to form a completeunit assembly.

Fig. 2 is side elevation, partly in section, showing several of the unitassemblages of Fig. 1 in a stacked group.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modificationin a positionabout to be applied to a relatively rigid plate.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the modification of Fig. 3applied to the plate.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view showing a modified form ofcontracting and locking toggle.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a modified form of frame element.

A form of my invention particularly adapted to use with a plate offlexible sheet material such as paper, sheet plastic material or thelike, is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Here the device is constructed ofstiff metallic wire or rod material, of circular cross section, andcomprises in general a relatively rigid frame element H1 in the form ofa closed loop shaped to extend around the rim of a plate H and havingupper rimlapping portions l2, l3, l4, and I5, and lower rim-lappingportions l6, l1, and I8, adapted to receive between them the rim IQ ofthe plate ll, together with an accessory supporting element here shownas a cup support 20 carried by the frame element in substantially rigidconnection therewith, and a stabilizing bracket element 2! extendingdownwardly from the assemblage of frame and cup support substantially tothe plane of support 22 (Fig. 2) of the plate.

The rim-lapping portions [2 to l8 are preferably arranged in spacedrelation around the frame so as to permit the rim of the flexible plateI I to be inserted from the top, under the top portions at one side of adiameter of the frame, and the plate slightly flexed to enable theopposite side of the rim to be sprung under the remaining top, lappingportion or portions on the other side. The cup support 28 is arranged tosupport a cup 23 above the plate and well out over the rim so as toclear the usable surface of the plate and permit the stacking of severalof the complete unit assemblages of plate and cup as will be laterdescribed. To insure balanced stability of assemblage when placed upon aflat supporting surface with liquid in the cup, even though the centerof gravity of the cup may be situated beyond the outer edge 24 of thebottom of the plate, the stabilizing bracket is arranged to extenddownwardly to bear upon the supporting surface 22 at a point outside thevertical projection of the center of the cup, and to permit a stackingof several of the unit assemblies as indicated in Fig. 2, both thebracket and the upright elements 25 connecting the cup support 29 withthe frame iii are arranged to lie beyond the vertical projection of theouter edge of the plate.

It will be clear from Fig. 2 that the maximum number of unit assemblagesthat can be stacked is limited to one more than the number of cups andcup supports that may be placed in contact in an arc of radiusdetermined by the radial offset of the cup holder, with a space betweenthe supports at the ends of the are sufficient to permit entrance of aplate and its frame, the additional unit assemblage being insertedthrough said space with its associated cup support partially closingsaid space. This is practically the only limit inasmuch as with cups ofadequate size this limit thus determined will be well within thatdetermined by the vertical clearance between the bottom plate and itscup support with respect to the thickness of plate and frame.

A factor in achievement of a low stacking height is the cooperativearrangement of the upper and lower rim-lapping portions whereby theouter edges of the lower portions I6, I1, and I8 lie radially within theinner edges or the upper portions I? to Hi, thus permitting the lowerrimlapping portions of one plate to nest within the circle of the upperrim-lapping portions of the plate next below, as shown in Fig. 2.

In order that the unit assemblage of frame, cup, and plate may bereadily and safely carried in one hand and in balance, the uprightelements 25 securing the cup support to the frame are spaced asindicated to afford a thumb space directly under the cup through whichthe user may insert his thumb to permit the plate to be held at a pointdirectly beneath the cup. Thus the usual tendency of a plate and cup totwist in the hand, as when held at a point to one side of the cup, issubstantially eliminated.

While the device is here shown and described above as constructed of astiff metallic wire of round cross-section, it will be understood thatthe construction may be of various other materials of various shapedcross-sections. In any case, with material of adequate stifiness, theframe ll! of the device forms a stiffener or reinforcement for theplate, permitting the use of a plate of nonrigid material such as thewell known paper plate, or a plate of light plastic material, While thestabilim'ng bracket at the cup-supporting end overcomes the otherwisedisadvantage of lightness of such a plate relative to the weight of thecup and its contents. It will be obvious that the lower lapping portionsI 6, I l, and [8 may be extended a considerable degree toward the centerof the plate for further reinforcement where found desirable, withoutdetracting from the various advantages of the device as set out above,thus making it possible to use plates otherwise too flimsy forconvenient handling in one hand when containing considerable food.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a modified form of the invention for use withstrong rigid plates such as plates of porcelain, metal, relativelythick, strong plastic material or the like. This form of the inventionis similar in all respects to that previously described except that theframe element 28 is made contractible or adjustable in diameter toenable it to be clamped about the rim of a stiff plate 27 and isprovided with clamping means for drawing it into, and holding it inclamped position. The clamping means may be any means for contractingthe frame and holding or looking it in contracted position, and is hereshown as a toggle link 28 inserted in the looped or ring-like frame,where the loop joins the stabilizing bracket 29. The toggle link isjournalecl at one end about a downwardly projecting portion 3d of aloose end of the loop of the frame 26, and at another end about theadjacent vertical member of the stabilizing bracket 29, the first endbeing held against, or limited in axial movement by the headed endportion 3| of the frame while the latter end is held against or limitedin axial movement on the adjacent vertical-member of the stabilizingbracket 29 by a stop collar 32 on the bracket 29. It will be clear fromFigs. 3 and 4 that a turning of the toggle from the position shown inFig. 3 to that shown in Fig 4 will effect a contraction of the frame 26about the rim of the plate to clamp the rim of the plate within theframe between the upper and lower rimlapping portions of the frame. Forlocking the toggle 28 in the clamped position shown in Fig. 4, theenlarged or upset end 3f on the loose end of the frame is rounded orbeveled to enable it to spring over the horizontal portion 33 of thestabilizing bracket as shown. The toggle link 28 together with theheaded end 3i, thus constitute a clamping or locking means for the contractible frame.

With the toggle link arranged as here shown, to lie in a vertical planeoutside the rim of the plate as does the stabilizing bracket, there isno interference between the toggles and the plates when stacked, for thesame reason as there is no interference between the plates and bracketsas pointed out above in connection with Fig. 2.

Another form of expansible and contractible frame is shown in Fig. 5where the frame element 3 3 is split or broken at a point more remotefrom the point of attachment with the cup support and is joined at theloose ends through a clamping, toggle link 35 lying fiat in the plane ofthe frame and arranged to swing from the position shown in dotted linesinto that shown in solid lines when the frame is contracted from thedotted to the solid line position. In the solid line position, thetoggle link and its pivotal connections are held substantially in acommon plane by the pairs of projecting lugs 36 and 3'! which extendlaterally from the ends of the link into overlapping engagement withadjacent portions of the frame. In both the toggle arrangements of Figs.4 and 5, a locking in the closed position is efifected by the pivotalconnections of the toggle with the frame assuming an aligned ordead-center position, or a position slightly beyond dead-cente withrespect to the direction of the force exerted on the toggle by theframe.

With the use of a contractible frame element as distinguished from therelatively fixed or rigid frame, the frame may be formed as a loophaving a channel section as illustrated in Fig 6, where thechannel-section frame is indicated at 38 and the plate at 39.

While I have herein shown and described certain specific embodiments ofmy invention for the sake of disclosure, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to such specific embodiments but contemplatesall such modifications and variants thereof as fall fairly within thescope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A buffet server comprising a substantially rigid, frame elementformed as a continuous loop adapted to embrace the rim of a, plate,portions of said frame element extendin radially inwardly, above andbelow and in overlapping relation with the rim of a plate embraced bythe frame element, a cup holder mounted on the frame element and spacedabove and overlying the rim of the plate, and a stabilizing bracketextending downwardly from the cup holder, outside the rim of the framesubstantially to the plane of the bottom supporting portion of a plateheld in the frame.

2. A bullet server comprising a frame in the form of a continuous loopadapted to embrace the rim of a plate, a cup holder connected adjacentthe outer edge of the frame, and upper and lower rim-lapping portions onsaid frame adapted to overlap top and bottom surfaces of a rim of aplate embraced by said frame, the radially innermost edge of said upperportions bein spaced 15 holder.

farther from the center of the plate than the radially outer edges ofsaid lower portion, whereby several frames each with a plate containedtherein may be stacked with the said bottom portions of an upper framenested Within the upper portions of the frame next below.

3. A buffet server comprising a frame in the form of a continuous loopadapted to embrace the rim of a plate, means for holding a plate in theframe, and a cup holder connected adjacent an outer edge of the framethrough vertical uprights spaced circumferentially along the edge of theframe, to permit entrance of a thumb of the user over the rim of theplate directly under the cup DIMI'IRI BIB/KIN.

